{"product_id":"mary-washington-asparagus","title":"Mary Washington Asparagus","description":"\u003cp\u003eMary Washington is the asparagus most American gardens grew for the better part of a century. Around 1900, asparagus rust was spreading through East Coast beds and growers were losing whole plantings. USDA plant breeder J. B. Norton worked with Massachusetts growers to breed plants that could stand up to it, crossing an American selection with the English variety Reading Giant. The USDA released seed of the new Washington strains in 1919, and Mary Washington became the one everyone planted.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe spears come up deep green with purple-tinged tips and stay tender when you cut them young. It's open-pollinated, so a bed grows both male and female plants. The females set small red berries on the ferns in summer, and those berries aren't edible.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGive it full sun and soil that drains well. Let the plants build their roots for two to three years before you start cutting, and a bed can keep producing every spring for 15 years or more.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBotanical name:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eAsparagus officinalis\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSold as:\u003c\/strong\u003e One young plant in a quart pot\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eUSDA zones:\u003c\/strong\u003e 3 to 8\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eType:\u003c\/strong\u003e Open-pollinated heirloom, released by the USDA in 1919\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpears:\u003c\/strong\u003e Deep green with purple-tinged tips\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDisease:\u003c\/strong\u003e Bred for resistance to asparagus rust\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSun:\u003c\/strong\u003e Full sun\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSoil:\u003c\/strong\u003e Well drained, pH 6.5 to 7.0\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePlanting depth:\u003c\/strong\u003e In a trench 6 to 8 inches deep, filled in as the plant grows\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpacing:\u003c\/strong\u003e 12 to 18 inches apart, in rows at least 3 feet apart\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e Ferns grow 4 to 5 feet tall\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHarvest:\u003c\/strong\u003e Spring, starting two to three years after planting\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"FruitBushes","offers":[{"title":"Single - Quart Pot","offer_id":68083504349263,"sku":"ASP-MARY-WASHINGTON-1-QT","price":10.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7906\/0815\/files\/1920px-Asparagus_bundle.jpg?v=1791761448","url":"https:\/\/fruitbushes.com\/products\/mary-washington-asparagus","provider":"FruitBushes.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}